


Raincheck

by roseslotusvioletiris



Category: Chicago PD (TV)
Genre: F/M, Minor Upzek, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:14:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22109974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roseslotusvioletiris/pseuds/roseslotusvioletiris
Summary: When she looks back, the crumbling of their relationship had another factor involved. To be precise, another person. // Upzek break up AU.
Relationships: Jay Halstead & Hailey Upton, Jay Halstead/Hailey Upton
Comments: 1
Kudos: 47





	Raincheck

**Author's Note:**

> I switched out Adam for Jay in the first scene for purposes of this story. Which was 6x20. Other scenes I referenced are 6x03, 6x10, and 6x12. I reversed 6x10 and 6x12 in this story (6x10- when Jay finds out about upzek and 6x12- the call Hailey gets from Adam when she was out with Jay) because I can! As always, I don’t own anything and I hope you all enjoy!

Jay was about to get into the car. Completely unarmed and defenseless.

Hailey pressed on her radio, about to tell the on standby police cars to roll down the street. 

While she never liked any of her co-workers in these type of situations, she kept her mouth shut and bared with it. This was different though. This was off-script, they weren’t prepared at all. 

Adam grabbed ahold of her arm and gave a shake of his head. “Leave it, Hailey.” 

She was about to brush him off and make the call anyway, but she could only watch as Jay, not armed and completely defenseless, got into the suspect’s car. 

Outraged, Hailey slammed her fist against the dashboard. 

Adam started talking again, this time into his radio. 

Despite being pissed at him, she couldn’t help but feel grateful that he not only was updating the team with the change of plans, but already trailing the car Jay was now in. She would had wasted precious seconds in her emotions and possibly lost the other vehicle. 

She became aware of her nails digging into her skin. Her hands were clenched into fists. She relaxed them, trying to get her mind on the same page. 

Worry for Jay and frustration in regards to Adam had to wait. She had to stay focused, especially with Jay going rogue. 

————

Funny enough, Adam brought up the person she was desperately trying to forget about soon after they slept together that first time. 

“I wonder how Jay is feeling.” He commented as he was pulling on his shirt.

Hailey froze. Last night was fun, no-strings attached, exactly what she needed. What she didn’t need was a reminder of her partner, her confusing feelings for him, and not to mention how she thought he was dead. 

“I don’t know.” She mumbled, taking longer than she should have to buckle her pants. The nerves and hesitancy that may appear for some after sex was arising just from the mention of Jay. 

Adam took her change of emotions as worry for Jay. “Not saying that he isn’t fine.” He backtracked on his question. 

When Hailey didn’t respond, Adam showed his generosity. “You can go over to see him, if you want.” He offered. 

Hailey couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at his wording. It was as if she needed his permission. 

Once again, Adam backtracked. Flustered Adam was a side she had never really seen before. “Not that you needed my permission.” He voiced her thoughts aloud. 

Hailey hummed in acknowledgement, keeping her eyes on the ground looking for any of her remaining clothes.

A few seconds later she remembered she was already fully dressed. 

When she looked back up, Adam was giving her a funny look. She made a face back at him. “What?” She was unable to keep herself from sounding defensive. 

“You really care about him, don’t you?” The implication was there. 

What the hell type of morning after talk was this? “I just slept with you, Adam.” She countered, hastily throwing her hair up in a ponytail. But the response felt weak, causing her to leave the room to escape the conversation. 

———

Despite going off script, the deal worked out and the men were in custody. And more importantly, Jay didn’t have a scratch on him. 

While Hailey was able to put most of her emotions to the side to focus on work, she continued to be short with Adam for the rest of shift. 

To his credit, he put up with it. It wasn’t until after work he cornered her alone in the locker room as she was pulling her bag out. 

“Jay’s fine, don’t know why you are still worked up about it.” 

His annoyance with her made her temper flare. She slammed her locker shut and faced him directly. 

“It could have went horribly wrong at any point and you know it!” She hissed back at him, trying to keep her voice down. Everyone else was still here and could walk in at any moment. “We weren’t prepared at all to go mobile!”

“It was fine—“

“You aren’t getting it!” Hailey threw her hands up in the air, fed up with Adam’s naivety. His behavior was incredibly ironic as he was so protective over their unit. “The risk wasn’t worth it.” 

“Jay was more important to you than solving the case.” He had the audacity to throw in her face. 

“I would have done the same for you!” She countered, indignant. Which was the truth. She would have. Their relationship started off being casual, but she couldn’t deny not having formed feelings for him. “It has nothing to do with that!” 

“But it wasn’t me.” 

The conversation was going nowhere. Adam wasn’t seeing her point and was trying to change the topic. 

Hailey threw her bag over her shoulder. There was no point to argue with no conclusion in sight. 

She didn’t get to walk far as Adam grabbed her elbow before she could leave the locker room. 

The hold was light, only enough for her to stop and turn back towards him. Before she could tell him to fuck off, he spoke first. 

“You love him, don’t you?” The voice didn’t match the level of tension between them. It was soft, resigned. Like he already knew her answer. 

Hailey shook off Adam without a reply, stalking out into the hallway. 

She didn’t get far as she ran into the subject of her and Adam’s discussion. Jay. 

Frazzled, she tried to sidestep past him, not wanting to deal with him after Adam’s interrogation. 

But of course, Jay knew something was off and tried to offer help. His hands rested on her upper arms, something she wouldn’t have found so distracting minutes prior. 

“You okay?” He asked her, but his eyes were behind her looking towards the locker room. 

Fuck. Were they louder than she thought? 

She grabbed his hands and gently pried them off. “I’m fine, Jay.” She ignored how robotic she sounded. 

He didn’t believe her. “I have a new bottle that needs open at my place.” The implication was there. Not only that, his eyes were back on her. Hopeful, concerned. Caring. 

Which made it much harder to decline his offer. Having a drink with him sounded so nice, so comforting, but at the same time absolutely terrifying. She couldn’t allow herself to be with him in her current headspace. 

“Can we raincheck that?” She successfully passed him, not able to look him in the eyes anymore. He couldn’t get any more clues on how she was feeling. 

She felt his eyes on her as she dashed away. 

—————

“Hey,” Hailey answered Adam’s call once she got out of Molly’s. She didn’t want to leave Jay, but at the same time felt relieved to. Their conversations energized her and tired her at the same time. “What’s up?”

“Nothing,” Adam responded. “You busy?” 

“I was just having drinks with Jay.” Realizing that it was a little chilly, she propped her phone in between her shoulder and ear. Her arms then folded across one another to provide extra warmth. 

“Oh.” There was shuffling on his side of the line. “Sorry.” He really did sound apologetic. 

When did things get so awkward between them? Or more like, how could things be good one moment and confusing the next? 

Hailey couldn’t help but sneak a glance back at Jay. He was drinking alone, but chatting enthusiastically with Herrmann. 

She missed whatever Adam said next. “Can you repeat that?” 

“Do you want to come over?” 

Her eyes went to Jay again. He seemed fine, she reassured herself. (Why did she have to reassure herself?) 

“Yes.” She did. She really did. Her relationship with Adam was surprising to say the least. They haven’t defined it, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to, but she knew it developed into something more than what they planned. 

But a part of her wanted to stay with Jay more. And since she didn’t want to also think about being a horrible person, she shoved these thoughts deep back into her mind. 

———-

She’s the one that pulled him aside next work shift. This time they were in the break room. It was risky, but they probably had a few minutes before anyone else would arrive. 

“I don’t think this is working out.” She cut right to the chase. 

Adam didn’t look surprised. To be fair, if she didn’t storm out of the locker room yesterday, they probably would have ended it then. 

“It’s not about Jay.” She whispered, looking over her shoulder for good measure. With her luck, Jay would walk through the door right now. 

Adam shook his head and laughed, seemingly not believing her. “Don’t lie straight to my face, Hailey.” He was clearly annoyed. 

She felt her own temper start to flare. He knew how private she was, how she held her thoughts and feelings close to her chest. 

“Don’t make me talk about this when I’m not ready to.” Her voice hardened but remained at the same volume. 

Doing this at work was a mistake. It was naive of her to assume their relationship could be tied up in a neat little bow. 

On the other hand, the current environment was the only reason both of them were still in control of their emotions. “I’m not asking you to. I’m asking for you not to lie to me.” 

Hailey pursed her lips. Adam was right. Saying Jay wasn’t a factor to the end of their relationship was a disservice to what Adam and her had developed the past several months. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure entering Intelligence’s main room. It only took a few seconds to decipher that it was Kevin, as he was the tallest member of the squad. 

Now she was panicking. Their conversation wasn’t private anymore. It didn’t matter if no one could hear them, the fact that they were in the break room having a conversation was suspicious enough. 

“You’re right, that wasn’t fair of me.” She conceded, trying to focus on him and not Kevin shuffling around. “With us working together, being in relationship isn’t working out. Especially...” She had to think about how to word the rest of her sentence without possibly offending Adam.

“When we aren’t in love with each other.” He finished for her. 

She nodded. There wasn’t anything more she could really say. 

More commotion outside. She didn’t need to look to see who it was, she heard the voices of Jay and Kim. 

Hailey started to walk out, stopping only to squeeze Adam’s shoulder. He was a great guy, and definitely deserved better. 

They locked eyes. She could tell he had something he wanted to say, and she knew she wasn’t going to like it. “You should tell him.” 

She dropped her hand, folding her arms in front of her chest instead. Defensive words were on the tip of her tongue but she swallowed them down. “I’ll keep that in mind.” 

———

“Why are you so bothered then?” 

Hailey took a sip of her beer, relishing in the tang of the alcohol hitting the back of her throat. She took her time putting her drink down and ultimately decided to play dumb. 

“Bothered?” She repeated, giving Adam a look of confusion. He was on the other side of the counter, the physical distance between them providing her comfort. Her mind was whirling at the moment, and she found personal space was desperately needed. 

Adam’s face mirrored her own. Unlike hers though, his wasn’t a facade. “Jay, your partner and close friend,” He said as if she needed a reminder. “Found out about us and was cool with it.” 

The verbal reminder was like a punch in the gut. Not knowing what else to do, she took another chug of her beer. 

“You wanted him to have a reaction, didn’t you.” 

She couldn’t deny it. Since the moment her and Adam first slept together, she worried about what Jay would say or do. She imagined he would be disappointed or even just upset that she hid it from him for so long. She even verbalized this to Adam multiple times. 

So instead she attempted to change the subject. “What movie did you pick out then?” 

Adam rolled his eyes and scoffed. “You’re so—“ He cut himself off, took a breath, and started again. “Some dumb action movie. Come on.” 

Hailey knew he wanted to say something, something about Jay. But he didn’t. She was relieved, but it also made her wonder more. Why couldn’t she be happy about Jay’s reaction? 

Even though they cuddled together on the couch, Hailey never felt further away from Adam. 

———

“What’s the special occasion?” 

Hailey jumped, her hands managing to maintain her hold on the wine bottle. The last time she checked Jay was still in her living room. The fact he was now right behind her was nothing but surprising. 

“I broke up with Adam.” She said with as much fake cheerfulness as she could muster. Wine was always her drink of choice after a relationship crashed and burned. 

She already bought the bottle by the time she realized having her break-up beverage with her partner who she was having complicated feelings for wasn’t the most intelligent decision. 

She also forgot about her plans with Jay to have drinks. They made them a week ago, when her and Adam’s problems were steadily increasing but she was still oblivious and stubborn enough to turn a blind eye. Cancelling would have had Jay suspicious. 

Jay watched as she poured the alcohol into two glasses. She handed one to him, trying to ignore the confusion on his face. 

Hailey leaned against the counter. She knew what was coming next. 

“You okay?” Jay copied her same position, only it was against her island. 

This meant they were facing each other. And as always, the intensity of emotions on his face, a different combination each time it seemed, had her mesmerized. 

Concern. Curiosity. 

Those were the ones she could identify, at least. 

She sipped and swallowed her wine before answering. An obscure red wine from her local drugstore. She wasn’t picky, all she was looking for was a bitter aftertaste to combat her current state. 

“Yeah.” Her relationship with Adam coming to an end was inevitable. Their feelings were strong enough to attempt dating while working together, but not maintain for the long run. 

She wasn’t sure if she was okay with Jay’s involvement in the breakdown of her and Adam’s relationship. 

Jay was only asking in reference to her and Adam though. As far as she knew he had no clue about his own role in the breakdown of his co-workers’ romantic relationship. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” 

“Not really.” She could give him a modified version. One that focused on not being in love with each other, not worth risking their careers for. Not dive into how her confusing feelings for Jay began to create a wedge between her and Adam. 

Somehow Jay always got more out of her than she plans. Not by force, but her trust and comfort in him enabled her to run her mouth more than she would like to. 

He looked like he wanted to press further. Hailey braced herself for another vague response, but instead he took a sip of the wine. 

And spit it back in the glass in disgust. After a bit of coughing, Jay voiced his displeasure. “What the hell is this?” 

Hailey affectionately rolled her eyes. She never thought she would welcome insult to the alcohol she bought. However, she had low expectations for it when she bought it for $9.99. 

“I never said it was good wine, Jay.” She pointed out. 

He left the glass on the counter, choosing to rummage through her fridge instead. A few seconds later, he pulled out a beer. 

There was no point in pouring him wine, she thought with a chuckle. He always preferred beer or liquor anyways. 

“Rude.” She gave him a playful nudge as she reached around him to grab his glass. 

“You’re gonna drink that?” He scrunched his face up, but his smile gave him away. 

She promptly poured the wine in the sink, staring Jay down with an eyebrow raised. 

His smile only got bigger. 

“I get free beer, you get me off your back.” He explained. “Good deal if you ask me.” 

He was joking, Hailey knew that. He wouldn’t have pushed her to talk, free beer or not. It would be one thing if her work was being affected or she was in danger. But neither were the case, so Jay let her be. 

The last thing Adam told her when they were breaking up filtered into her mind. That she should tell Jay. About why they broke up. About her struggles with her continuously growing feelings for him. 

Her stomach flipped at the thought of telling him. She knew mentally she wasn’t at that place yet. 

At least she could let him know she planned on opening up to him though. “I’ll tell you why, someday.” She added at the end, wanting to give herself an unidentifiable time frame. Who the hell knows how much she would need. “I just need to process it all first.” 

“Let me know when you want to talk, and I’ll be there.” He told her with complete sincerity. 

To her surprise he took a step forward, now almost chest to chest against one another. Hailey found herself frozen, her body trying to catch up to the panic of her mind. 

But it was over as soon as it happened. Jay simply grabbed her wine bottle and began to walk off, alcohol in each hand. 

“I’m going to throw this away now.” He said, walking straight past the garbage. 

Hailey followed right on his heels, towards the direction of her living room. “You better watch your mouth, Jay Halstead.” She warned him. 

But after the words left her mouth, they were replaced with a smile on her face. 

This was exactly what she needed.


End file.
